1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector used to accommodate an end of a conductor-path sheet, to a connector assembly and to a method of assembling such connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A flexible flat cable (FFC) is one example of a conductor-path sheet. The FFC is a flexible ribbon formed by laying conductive paths in parallel on a strip of insulating film. A protection film then is applied to the upper surfaces of the conductor paths, except for end portions of the conductor paths. One end portion of the FFC is accommodated in a connector housing and the connector housing is connected with a mating connector housing. Thus, the respective conductor paths are connected with corresponding terminal fittings in the mating connector housing. A connector for an FFC is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-188145.
A conductor-path sheet, such as the aforementioned FFC, requires a smaller layout space than a wiring harnesses formed by bundling wires. Thus, consideration is being given to using conductor-path sheets in place of wiring harnesses. However, conductor-path sheets require sealing for use in areas that are exposed to water, such as in an engine compartment of an automotive vehicle. Sealing may be required, for example, at a portion where the ends of the conductor-path sheet are inserted in a connector housing. However, since the ends of the conductor-path sheet have a rectangular cross section, and it is difficult to provide sealing for corners of the conductor-path sheet. Therefore, conductor-path sheets currently are not used in areas exposed to water.
The invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to provide a waterproof connector for conductor-path sheet.